Door-fastener



(No Model.)

.. A. H. WESLING I DOOR FASTENER- Pate nted Dec. 14,1897.

WIT/H8858: I l/VVENTOR WQBM,WW,

ATTORNEYS .2 Erica.

PATENT *AUGUST H. WES LING, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

DOOR-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,505, dated December 14, 1897.

Application filed June 29, 1897. Serial No. 642,848. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be'it known that I, AUGUST HERMANN WES- LING, of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Door-Fastener,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. The object of my invention is to provide a door-fastener of simple, durable, and economic construction and capable of attachment to any door and which will serve to fasten the door to the floor at any point in the travel of said -door, thereby preventing the wind-or a draft from closing the door or opening it farther than desired.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the device that the door may be bolted and locked securely to the floor when, for example, the door is left open for several inches for the ingress of air or other purposes and which will enable a person to open the door several inches to view a caller and to fasten the door instantly on occasion to prevent intrusion, the device serving all the purposes of an ordinary chain door-fastener in addition to having the advantage that the door may be unfastened instantly without being noticeable from the outside, and having the further advantage over a door-chain that the improved fastener cannot be forced by cutting or other means to release the door.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door-fastener which will give additional security to the door when locked and which will also serve to bolt the door securely when said door is closed.

The fastener will also serve to prevent the rattling of the door when the door is closed and will relieve the hinges of a part of their load by supporting a part of the weight of the door near its front edge.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is an inner side elevation of a part of a door, illustrating the fastener applied to the said inner face of the door and showing the bolt of the fastener as securing the door in position. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a slight modification in the construction of the fastener, to the end that it may be concealed within the door. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the door partially open, illustrating the form of fastener shown in Fig.- 2 as applied to the door. Fig. 4 is a perspective view ofattachments whereby the throw of the bolt of the fastener will lock the bolt of the device in engagement with a stop or socket. Fig. 5 is an inner face view of the lower portion of the main lever shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 represents perspective views of stops used in connection with the fastening device; and Fig. 7' is an enlarged detail view of the bolt of the device, illustrating a modification in its construction.

The shank 10 of the knob A, belonging to the door A", is provided with an arm 11,which normally extendsupwardly from the shank, and said arm is secured to the shank by a collar or in any other approved manner. When the device is to be attached to a side face of a door, a casing B is secured to said face adjacent to the edge carrying the lock, the casing shown in Fig. 1 having its coverplate removed. This casing is provided near its top with two guide-pins 12 and 13, between which pins a lever 14 has sliding movement. The lower end of the lever is contained within the casing, and between that portion of the lever which is to pass between the pins 12 and 13 and the lower end of the lever a notch 15 is formed in the inner edge of the lever. The lever is carried upward from the casing in direction of the swing edge of the door, and is then curved inward in direction of the knob, its concaved surface facing the shank 10 of the knob. The lower end of the lever 14 is pivotally attached to the vertical member of the elbow-lever 16.

A chain 18 is attached to the upper end of the main lever 14, one of its links being adapted to be passed over the arm 11, extending from the knob shank or spindle. When the lever is set to hold the door in a certain position, the shank cannot be shifted from its position to release the door by a person passing the hand through the opening between the door and jamb, as a latch 19 is employed, which is shown in Fig. 1 in its locked position. This latch 19 is pivoted in the lower portion of the casing B and is arranged for engagement with the heel of the main lever 14. The latch is provided at its pivot-point with a depression 20, preferably rectangular, to receive a key passed through the casing, and in this manner the latch may be brought to an engagement with the lever, as shown in Fig. 1, or carried out of engagement with the lever, as shown in Fig. 2. It will thus be observed that this attachment is much safer than a chain door-fastener, since it is possible in the use of the latter for the chain to be cut from the outside, whereas when the improved fastener is used it cannot be reached from the outside.

The horizontal member of the elbow-lever 16 is pivotally attached to the plunger-rod 21, this rod'being regulated in length through the medium of a turnbuckle 22. The lower section of the plunger-rod is passed through a casing or boxing 23, secured near the bottom of the door, the plunger-rod having sliding movement in the said boxing or casing. The lower portion of the plunger-rod is provided with an exterior thread 24, which receives a nut 2t. The nut is free to travel up and down the threaded surface of the plunger-rod, but cannot turn thereon, since it is loosely fitted to the inside contour of the boxing or casing.

At the lower end of the plunger-rod a bolt 26 is secured adapted to engage with the floor, and this bolt may pass freely in or out of the bottom portion of the boxing or casing. A spring 27 is coiled around the lower section of the plunger-rod, having bearing against the nut 25 and the top of the casing, the said spring having a tendency to force the bolt 26 to the floor. The tension of the spring on the bolt may be increased or decreased by passing a nail or a like object through an opening 35 in the upper portion of the lower section of the plunger-rod and turning said section, thereby causing the nut 25 to move upward or downward.

In the operation of this form of the device the upper portion of the main lever is connected with the arm on the knob-shank. If the bolt 26 is in engagement with the floor, by turning the knob A in the usual manner the lever 11 will be rocked upon its fulcrum, causing the angle-lever 16 to be rocked also in a manner to raise the bolt 26 from the floor, and when the bolt is fully drawn up the main lever 14 will have been raised sufficiently to permit the notch 15 in the said main lever to receive the guide-pin 13. The belt will now be held at its highest point, and by disconnecting the chain 18 from the knob the door may be opened or closed, as usual. If the action of the angle-lever 16 is to be arrested before the bolt is fully raised, the main lever 14 is pressed close to the knob by the thumb of the hand. The moment, however, that it is desired to hold the door closed or open to a greater or less extent the main lever 14: is simply carried outward sufficiently to release it from the pin 13, whereupon the spring 27 will act to force the bolt 26 to the floor, and by bringing the latch 19 against the heel of the main lever 1i the door will be firmly locked in the position in which itis placed.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated an attachment whereby the bolt 26 of the device may be locked in engagement with the floor through the medium of the bolt of the door-lock. This attachment consists of a plate 28, which is secured to the door, the plate being provided with a pocket 29, having a slot 30 therein. A second plate 31 is employed of angular construction, one member whereof is provided with a lug adapted to slide in the pocket 29, and this member is also provided with two gripping-arms'32 and 33, one near the top and the other near the bottom, the arms being curved in direction of each other. The other member of the angular plate 31 has an opening 34 made therein, through which the bolt of the lock may pass. \Vhen this attachmentis used, which may be at night, for example, or when the door is to be locked partly open, the gripping-arms of the angular plate are made to receive the lever 14, and the plate is carried down until thelug on the plate enters the pocket 25), and when the angular plate is properly adjusted the opening 3& will be opposite the opening in the lock, through which the bolt thereof is to project. Consequently when the belt of the lock is carried outward the angle-plate is prevented from rising and serves to hold the main lever 14 in its lower position.

Under the construction shown in Fig. 2 the casing B is mortised in the door, and a mortise is provided likewise for all of the parts below the casing. The turnbuckle under this latter construction is placed nearer the casing, and the only difference in construction is that of the main lever and the manner in which it operates the angle-lever 1G. The angle-lever 16 is attached to a short lever 38, contained within the casing and held to move between pins 40 and 11, being provided with a notch 39 to receive one of the pins. The main lever a2 is curved at its upper end in like manner as the lever 1 1 and may be connected with the knob spindle or shank in the same manner; but upon the lower end of the main lever, at its inner end, a hub 13 is formed, having a rectangular opening which receives a correspondingly-shaped lug on the lever 38 within the casing, a screw being employed to further connect the two levers. \Vhen the hub passes through the door into the casing, the opening receiving I the hub is sufficiently large to admit of free movement of the lever 38. A wear-plate I) under this construction is secured to the door where the hub. of the main lever is passed through. lVhen the device is mortised in the door, openings 36 and 37 are made in its front edge, whereby access may be obtained to the lower section of the plunger-rod and the turnbuckle by means of an alligator-wrench or the like.

When the bolt 26 is to be brought in engagement with polished floors, its lower or bottom end is preferably raised and is covered by a washer 44, attached by a countersunk screw 45, as shown in Fig. 7.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a stop 0, which is adapted to be secured to the threshold-strip. This stop is provided with a plain surface 46, the end whereof rests against the door-jamb, and an elevated inclined surface 47. The wall as so between the two surfaces is inclined slightly from the vertical, the point as being farther removed from the door-jamb than the point 00'. Therefore when the door is closed the bolt 26 drops down the inclined surface 00 w until the door is tight against the jamb or door-stop. In the same figure I have illustrated another form of stop D, which consists of a plate having oppositely-inclined end surfaces 49 and 50 and an intermediate depressed surface 51. This stop is to be fastened to the floor, preferably within four or six inches from the door-jamb,and its purpose is to make the fastener have the same functions as a chain door-fastener. When the bolt 26 is within the depression 51, the door cannot be forced open from the outside, and if the door is to be left in this position for any length of timeas, for example, to obtain a draft during the nightthe door may be securely locked to its plate with the regular door-key through the medium of the appliance shown in detail in Fig. 4.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a door-fastener, the combination with a spring-controlled bolt and a rod connected with said bolt, of'an angle-lever connected at one end to said rod, a main lever pivoted to the other end of the angle-lever, guide-pins on each side thereof, said main lever having an edge recess adapted to receive one of the guide-pins when raised, and operating connections from the door-knob to said main lever, substantially as described.

2. In a door-fastener, the combination with a spring-controlled bolt, a rodconnected with said bolt and means for controlling the tension of the spring by the manipulation of said rod, of a casing, an angle-lever pivoted in the casing and connected with the said rod, a main lever pivoted to the other end of the angle-lever and adapted to be operated from a door-knob, the said main lever being provided with a recess, and guide-pins forming guides for the said lever, one of which is adapted to enter the recess therein and lock the device, substantially as described.

3. In a door-fastener, the combination with a spring-controlled bolt, a rod connected with the said bolt and means for controlling the tension of the spring by the manipulation of the said rod, of a casing, an angle-lever pivoted in the casing and connected at one end with the said rod, a main lever pivoted to the other end of the angle-lever and adapted to be operated from a door-knob, said lever bein g provided with a recess, guide-pins on each side of the lever, one of said pins being adapted to enter said recess, and a locking-latch adapted for engagement with the heel of the main lever, substantially as described.

4. In a door-fastener, the combination, with a casing, a rod having sliding movement in the casing, a nut loosely fitted in the casing and mounted to travel on the said rod, and a spring held within the casing, having bearing against said nut, the rod being provided with a turnbuckle, of an angle-lever pivoted to the said rod, a main lever pivoted to the angle-lever, guides through which the main lever passes, said lever having an opening to receive one of said guides, the main lever being likewise provided with means for attachment to a knob-spindle.

5. In a door-fastener, the combination, with a locking-bolt and a lever for operating the said bolt, of a plate having an opening through which the bolt of a lock may pass, the plate being also provided with gripping-arms arranged to grasp the said lever.

AUGUST H. IVESLING.

Witnesses R. FUELLE, ERNST FRUEsHIRT. 

